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Whiskey/Spirits Auction

Whiskey/Spirits Auction
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  • Whiskey/Spirits Auction

    Post #1 - April 17th, 2021, 8:13 am
    Post #1 - April 17th, 2021, 8:13 am Post #1 - April 17th, 2021, 8:13 am
    Hi all. Longtime LTH reader, first post. Full disclosure; I work for Unicorn Auctions which is based in Chicago.
    I thought readers in this thread would be interested to know more about this auction house which focuses on rare and collectible spirits (emphasis on Whiskey). The next auction, which looks to be one of the biggest U.S. spirit auctions ever, starts on April 25 - May 2. A lot of cool stuff coming up for auction this time. Unicorn's focus is very inclusive with lots available at a range of price points. Anyone interested can check out the website and register for the app at: https://www.unicornauctions.com/

    Happy to respond to any questions,
    Thanks
    Scott
  • Post #2 - April 18th, 2021, 1:06 pm
    Post #2 - April 18th, 2021, 1:06 pm Post #2 - April 18th, 2021, 1:06 pm
    Wow, that is a world I knew nothing about. I assume people are not paying many thousands of dollars for a bottle of whiskey and then drinking it, but have a collection of rare whiskeys.
  • Post #3 - April 18th, 2021, 1:31 pm
    Post #3 - April 18th, 2021, 1:31 pm Post #3 - April 18th, 2021, 1:31 pm
    If this goes anything like the most recent HDH auction, hammer prices will be insane. Bottles I paid ~$30 for less than 3 years ago were selling for over $200. Super cool to watch, though, even if just from the sidelines.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #4 - April 18th, 2021, 2:54 pm
    Post #4 - April 18th, 2021, 2:54 pm Post #4 - April 18th, 2021, 2:54 pm
    Ronnie - I looked at some old auctions and there were bottles going for $8,000 ! Your $30 bottle that went for $200 - I can see someone paying that and drinking it. But how can you possibly open a bottle that you paid $8,000 for.
  • Post #5 - April 18th, 2021, 5:00 pm
    Post #5 - April 18th, 2021, 5:00 pm Post #5 - April 18th, 2021, 5:00 pm
    lougord99 wrote:Ronnie - I looked at some old auctions and there were bottles going for $8,000 ! Your $30 bottle that went for $200 - I can see someone paying that and drinking it. But how can you possibly open a bottle that you paid $8,000 for.


    Only if you’re someone who spends $8000 like it’s $200...
    "Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad." Miles Kington
  • Post #6 - April 18th, 2021, 5:58 pm
    Post #6 - April 18th, 2021, 5:58 pm Post #6 - April 18th, 2021, 5:58 pm
    boudreaulicious wrote:
    lougord99 wrote:Ronnie - I looked at some old auctions and there were bottles going for $8,000 ! Your $30 bottle that went for $200 - I can see someone paying that and drinking it. But how can you possibly open a bottle that you paid $8,000 for.


    Only if you’re someone who spends $8000 like it’s $200...

    If I owned a bottle of something that recently sold for $8k (for which I'd paid retail), I absolutely could not bring myself to open it now. Not saying I'd sell it but I just couldn't justify pouring eight thousand dollars down my gullet.

    Many years ago I bought a bottle of Old Blowhard bourbon (Orphan Barrel series). As its dubious marketing claims, it was a one-time release of a 26-year-old bourbon, yadda, yadda, yadda (if you're ever experiencing a BS deficit, just read the labels of some bourbon bottles). I think I paid around $100 for it. At the time, my son and his friends, who were too young to drink, thought it was hysterical to call me Old Blowhard. It kind of became my nickname. I told him that once they were of age, we'd open it and enjoy it together.

    They're now 24 and I still intend to, once we can get everyone together in one place. But knowing what it sold for at two fairly recent auctions, I'll feel a wee bit stupid doing so. It trades for close to $500/bottle these days. :shock:

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #7 - April 18th, 2021, 9:06 pm
    Post #7 - April 18th, 2021, 9:06 pm Post #7 - April 18th, 2021, 9:06 pm
    So I find it entirely plausible that an $8000 bottle of whiskey is 800 times better than a $10 bottle, but is it 100 times better than an $80 bottle? Or is the deal that it might be a $16000 bottle next year?
  • Post #8 - April 18th, 2021, 10:25 pm
    Post #8 - April 18th, 2021, 10:25 pm Post #8 - April 18th, 2021, 10:25 pm
    tjr wrote:So I find it entirely plausible that an $8000 bottle of whiskey is 800 times better than a $10 bottle, but is it 100 times better than an $80 bottle? Or is the deal that it might be a $16000 bottle next year?

    Clearly, value is in the eye of the buyer but none of the above, imo. It's just numb money chasing rare items because it can. No bottle of whiskey, not even one that's out of print, is worth that much. But more power to anyone who thinks it is and has no problem backing it up. If you love something that much and can afford it, why not?

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #9 - April 19th, 2021, 6:03 am
    Post #9 - April 19th, 2021, 6:03 am Post #9 - April 19th, 2021, 6:03 am
    I think the original poster here has come to realize that we are not his target audience.
  • Post #10 - April 19th, 2021, 9:31 am
    Post #10 - April 19th, 2021, 9:31 am Post #10 - April 19th, 2021, 9:31 am
    lougord99 wrote:I think the original poster here has come to realize that we are not his target audience.

    I have a decent collection but that most recent HDH auction, to which I referred above, made me realize that I'm no longer a buyer. I'm now a seller, except I'm not actually selling . . . but I'm definitely not buying, either.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #11 - April 21st, 2021, 12:03 pm
    Post #11 - April 21st, 2021, 12:03 pm Post #11 - April 21st, 2021, 12:03 pm
    I'm with Ronnie, I have by most accounts a pretty solid collection, love drinking good bourbon, but when the price tags start hitting 4 digits and above, I start thinking, if I lost a job, and needed 10K, that's where it's coming from.

    I am not saying I DONT open them, I am saying at a certain point it seems almost irresponsible to just drink it.
  • Post #12 - April 21st, 2021, 7:33 pm
    Post #12 - April 21st, 2021, 7:33 pm Post #12 - April 21st, 2021, 7:33 pm
    Frankly, this past year has made me realize life is short and uncontrollable. I am not saving special bottles anymore but drinking them down. Didn’t have to share either as distancing has been in effect. It has been a liberating experience.
    What disease did cured ham actually have?
  • Post #13 - April 28th, 2021, 5:57 pm
    Post #13 - April 28th, 2021, 5:57 pm Post #13 - April 28th, 2021, 5:57 pm
    Is This the Oldest Bottle of American Whiskey? Is It Worth $40,000?

    https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/28/dini ... ction.html
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #14 - April 29th, 2021, 12:39 pm
    Post #14 - April 29th, 2021, 12:39 pm Post #14 - April 29th, 2021, 12:39 pm
    lougord99 wrote:I think the original poster here has come to realize that we are not his target audience.

    Perhaps, you never know, though I learned more about whiskey values than I did when I awoke this morning.
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #15 - January 17th, 2023, 1:01 pm
    Post #15 - January 17th, 2023, 1:01 pm Post #15 - January 17th, 2023, 1:01 pm
    We are just going to launch this feb 19 2023. Mark your calendar: https://dramhammerauctions.com/

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